


Hannibal: Taking Over Me

by DragonSlayer2526



Series: #ClannibalForever [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Clarice Starling, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Clarice Starling-freeform, F/M, Hannibal Lecter is a Cannibal, Hannibal Lecter is the Chesapeake Ripper, It's going to combine the three seasons, Older Man/Younger Woman, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Hannibal Lecter, Pre-Hannibal (TV series), Protective Hannibal Lecter, Psychological Trauma, Sixteen year old Clarice Starling, Slow build Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling, Strong Female Characters, Will Graham Needs a Hug, plus Clarice being sort of adopted by Hannibal and her living with him, this is going to be a long story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 04:00:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17521619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSlayer2526/pseuds/DragonSlayer2526
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Clarice Starling has been quietly suffering from two childhood traumas, her father's death and the slaughtering of the lambs and her failed attempt of rescuing one of them. Now, the head of the Lutheran orphanage had sighed her up for therapy in order to heal her damaged mind.





	1. Prologue # 1: Sweet Sixteen

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teresamr526](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teresamr526/gifts).



> Calling the first half of the story 'Prologue', it'll cover when she's sixteen to when she turns 20 and joins the FBI academy then it'll follow the series with changes.
> 
> My version of Clarice is based on the appearance of Sophie Turner, she doesn't dye her hair in this version as well as another version. She dyes her hair black in this version when she goes to Florence with Hannibal.
> 
> I changed the name of the story to "Taking Over Me" by Evanescence, the other story will be called "My Heart Is Broken" by the same band.

###  Prologue # 1: Sweet Sixteen

A sixteen-year-old girl sat silently and gloomy on the chair waiting for the therapist to call her into his office to start her first session with him. She was wearing a black leather jacket, emerald green turtleneck sweater, black jeans that were tucked into black knee high boots. Her hair is loose and flows over her shoulders in red waves to her waist, long and freshly brushed it contrasts nicely with her pale skin. Her bright blue eyes glittered deep sapphire in the light. Despite her outward appearance of calm and blankness, the girl was inwardly upset and betrayed, it was directed towards the woman who ran the Lutheran orphanage where she lived, who had force the sixteen year old to seek help. The girl  pushed some of her hair over her shoulder as she nibbled on her bottom lip, looking towards the door. 

She really wanted to ditch this session but her Southern manners prevented her from doing so and Southern girls are not raise to be rude, like ditching. Her mama didn't raise her to be rude, neither did her papa. The girl let out a sigh her heart gave a painful squeeze at the thought of her parents, her mother died when she was two and her father was killed when she was ten.

She wasn't here for her mother's death, that's for sure, since she didn't have the chance to make memories with her before her death and that she was very young when her mother died. She remembered her daddy telling her that her mama died because she had cancer. Her father's death was a part of the reason, just not the real reason why she was here. When she was about ten years old, her father was shot when responding to a robbery; he died a month after the incident. She was present of course, taking care of him during those weeks that led up to his death. 

The second reason why she was here, and the main reason why she was here, always made her shiver and clenched her head between her hands, as if that would protect her from those memories. After her father's death, she was sent to live with her uncle on a Montana sheep and horse farm, from which she briefly ran away in horror when she witnessed the spring lambs being slaughtered, their screams still echoed in her head. The girl had wanted to save one of the lambs from being killed but when she had opened the gate, none of them ran out but she could so she picked one up and ran away with the lamb but she was picked up and brought back to the farm by police officers, having not gotten far and the lamb had been heavy in her arms, slowing her down. Her uncle killed the lamb that she had tried to save and she spent the rest of her childhood in a Lutheran orphanage.

She was lucky that the woman who runs the orphanage was nice and loving to the kids that live there, and knew deep down that she wanted her to have a normal and happy life but couldn't due to the trauma that she had suffered through. Clarice doubted that any child would have gone through what she had with their mind intact. The old woman was always being woken up by the girl's loud and terrified screams during the night and the girl barely even ate, never socialized with the other children, kept to herself. Clarice refused to eat lamb, anything involving lambs would set her off. The sixteen year old girl had an episode after catching a brief glimpse of Lambchop. This had been going on for years now and the old woman finally decided to do something about it, she told the girl that she would be going to a therapist in order to get help and get better. The girl never could argue with the old woman and accepted her fate, willingly and without complaint. 

Even though she wanted to refuse and complain, loudly and repeatedly.

She loved and respected the old woman too much to argue about this decision even though she didn't even want to talk to anyone about it, especially not a feeble old man whose job is to talk to trouble people about their problems.

The girl sighed and bowed her head, her fingernails digging into her scalp as she tried not to give into temptation of running away from here. 

The door opened and the girl's eyes immediately snapped towards the open door of the office, where the tall, lean, yet imposing silhouette of a man appeared in the doorframe, features impossible to spot in the semi obscure light. The girl stared up at him before his deep, velvety, yet raspy voice came drifting towards her ears and over her body. "Please, come in."

The girl walked over to him and moved pass him, stopping in the middle of his office and looking around her. Surprised by the beauty of it, she didn't hear him close the door nor did she hear him walk towards her. She was too busy taking in the beauty yet masculine of the space around her. It was two level, almost like a library, with selves filled with books of many height and width. It was truly beautiful. 

Clarice wanted to go up there and read the books, it get lost in their written worlds. She had books but not as much as he had.

The girl turned around and gasp, taking a step back, when she realized how close the man was standing to her. She looked up into his face, her eyes widen and her lips parted is a soundless gasp once she saw his face within the more lighted space.  

His face was beautiful in a cold, symmetrical, strange and compelling way, hinting at northern origins. The features seemed to be chiseled in alabaster, lean, and regal and precise, betraying wisdom and knife-sharp intelligence. Sandy brown, thick hair was neatly combed to enhance the wide forehead, complimented by prominent arcades that cast the fascinating, deep set hazel eyes into a veil of obscurity. The high, pronounced cheekbones and the straight, narrow nose emanated refinement and quiet determination. The mouth itself, enhanced by the pointed chin, seemed even more compelling, because of its sensuous, yet somehow cruel lips, that reveal white, even teeth. The skin, although holding a charming olive hue, held some rough lines of a skin brushed by the cold winds of the unforgiving Baltic Sea.

The man's body reflected the same enduring beauty of the unique breed that were the northern men, with their tall, lean, yet strong and muscular bodies, wide in shoulders, slim in waist and long in limbs, formidable creatures that competed with the harshness of their motherland, graceful in their native, muted savagery.

Her eyes were quick to drop to the floor, as warm blush formed on her cheeks, realizing that she had been staring at him openly. A hand appeared within her vision, startling the girl, making her look back up at him with wide eyes.

The man smiled down at her. "It's alright, it just a handshake."

Her blush became more pronounce as her petite and slender hand slipped into his winder one. Although it was the sensible and steady hand of an artist, and therefore mirrored hers, it was warmer, and its firm grip seemed to refrain potent strength, as though the muscles that helped the finger to coil were alert, yet immobile under the skin.

The man smiled down at her, welcoming and offering comfort. "I'm Doctor Hannibal Lecter, I'll be your therapist."

The girl kept her eyes locked onto his and gave him a timid smile as she introduced herself, quietly and timidly. "Clarice Starling, I'll be your patient...I guess."

Hannibal Lecter smiled wider that the small teenager before him. "Hello, Clarice." He could tell that she didn't want to be here. The Cannibal motioned to a seat. "

She looked at him as she sat down in the chair opposite of him, she was silent at first but then she said, "I don't want to be here... I don't to get a psychological evaluation." Clarice wanted to run, she hated talking to people about what was wrong with her and why she didn't like to get involved with any man. And she as hell wasn't going to tell Hannibal that she was attracted to him and that he was the only man that made her want to jump his bones.

Hannibal was annoyed, he didn't like this weakness that she was showing him right now. For some reason, he had a feeling that she was stronger than this.

"You're so ambitious, aren't you? You know what you look like to me, with your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well-scrubbed, hustling rube with a little, taste. Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you Ms. Starling? That accent you're trying so desperately to shed - pure West Virginia. What was your father, dear? Was he a coal miner? Did he stink of the lamp? And oh, how quickly the boys found you. All those tedious, sticky fumblings, in the back seats of cars, while you could only dream of getting out. Getting anywhere, yes?" Hannibal said as he looked at Clarice. 

His every word has struck her like a tiny, precise dart. But she squared her jaw and didn't back down as she narrowed her blue eyes at him, her anger raising.

"You see a lot, Dr. Lecter. But are you strong enough to point that high-powered perception at yourself? How about it...? Look at yourself and write down the truth." She fixed him with a hard stare, lifting her chin in silent defiance and challenge. "Or maybe you're afraid to."

"You're a tough one, aren't you?" Hannibal asked as he gave her a thoughtful look so he was correct, her meekness from before wasn't her true nature.

"Reasonably so. Yes." Clarice said.

"And you'd hate to think you were common. My, wouldn't that sting. Well you're far from common, Ms. Starling. All you have is the fear of it." Hannibal said as he sat back as he looked at her, he was surprised but he kept it off his face. Not many people saw what she saw and she had called him out on it, using the same method that he had done to her. In fact, he found himself slowly start to feel something with her which was surprising because he had never felt this way towards anyone before.

"Sorry...I shouldn't have said that." Clarice said as she broke eye contact with him and looked away.

"No need to apologies, Clarice." Hannibal said. "I was too harsh on you."

Clarice smiled warily at him and said, "No, I should be apologizing... It wasn't right to take out my anger with Ms. Anderson on you."

"Why are you angry at her?"

"Because she wanted me to get help, to talk to someone." Clarice explained shifting in her chair. "I don't like being looked at with pity when I tell people why I am... Broken."

"Are you broken, Clarice?"

"That's what my passed doctors told me." A humorless laugh erupted from her.

"Well, I don't you're broken, little Starling." Hannibal said as he sat back. "We can just sit here until you're ready to talk."

"And if I'm not?" Clarice asked.

Hannibal shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't that big of a deal and said, "Then we just sit here until your time is up."

And sat there they did, staring at each other until Clarice had to return to the orphanage. She had a session with the doctor the next day, she was so looking forward to it.

\----------------------------

Clarice waited in the waiting room, she stared at a painting before her but it soon started to blur...her face, fighting tears. She is seeing, in her mind's eye...

~~~~

**_A screen door banged open on a wooden porch and a 10-year old girl, the young Clarice, rushed outside, down the front steps, and ran joyfully across her front yard to a car parked in the dirt road. A man, Clarice's father, had just climbed out. He's tall, handsome, and has a marshal's badge pinned on his dark suit. He grinned, when he saw her, and spread his arms wide as she rushed into them, and he swept her up in a hug, he spun her around as they laughed._ **

~~~~

Clarice was sagging in her chair, her face is buried in her arms and her shoulders shook. She jolted in surprise when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Hannibal standing there, staring down at her.

"I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me." Clarice said as she wiped the tears away with her hands. "I normally don't do this."

Hannibal reached down and helped her up as he pulled out a cloth from his breast pocket and gently cleaned the tears off her face, "No need to apologize, Ms Starling."

Clarice sniffled and said, "I'm sorry about your cloth...I got it dirty."

"It's fine." Hannibal said. "It was merely used to wipe away your tears. And if you are not up to talking today, we can always wait until tomorrow."

Clarice nodded her head in response.

Hannibal smiled and said, "Good, I'll make you some tea. It should calm you down."

The sixteen year old girl stood up and Hannibal wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he led her into his office.

\---------------------------------

The next day, Hannibal was sitting across from Clarice as she had her arms crossed under her breasts as she looked at him and he in looked at her in return.

"What's your worst memory of childhood?" Hannibal asked when she hesitated he added. "Quicker than that. I'm not interested in your worst invention."

"The death of my father." Clarice said finally, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue.

Hannibal could see on her face that Clarice wanted to stick out her tongue but she had resisted that urge, oh how she seemed to be blossoming before him and he wondered how much she'll blossom if he should take her into his care.

"Tell me. Don't lie, or I'll know." Hannibal said.

Clarice cannot bear looking at his eyes. She looked past him, hesitating again.

"He was a town marshal... one night he surprised two burglars, coming out the back of a drugstore...They shot him." She said.

Hannibal watched her reactions as he asked, "Killed outright?"

"No. He was strong, he lasted almost a month. My mother died when I was very young, I was told it was cancer, so my father had become the whole world to me...After he left me, I had nobody. I was ten years old." Clarice said.

"You're very frank, Clarice. I think it would be quite something to know you in private life." Hannibal said.

Clarice looked at him when he said that, but she doesn't say anything, she just shrugged her shoulders.

"After your father's death, you were orphaned. What happened next?" Hannibal asked when Clarice dropped her gaze. "I don't imagine the answer's on those second-rate shoes, Clarice."

"I went to live with my mother's cousin and her husband in Montana. They had a ranch." Clarice said as briefly looked up at him.

"A cattle ranch?" Hannibal asked. 

It was obvious she didn't like talking about her childhood.

"Horses...and sheep..." Clarice said.

"How long did you live there?" Hannibal asked.

"Two months." Clarice responded.

"Why so briefly?" Hannibal asked.

"I...ran away..." Clarice said.

"Why, Clarice? Did the rancher sexually assaulted you?" Hannibal asked.

Clarice shook her head angrily and said just as angrily, "No."

"Did he try to?" Hannibal said.

"No...!" Clarice shouted as she stood up. "I...I have to go." 

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." Hannibal stood up as well and walked with her to the door. He knew better not to push her, Clarice was agitated and when she was agitated her sharp tongue came out a lot more. "Oh, and Clarice - next time you will tell me why you ran away. Okay?

Clarice was obviously shaken but she said, "Yes, Doctor."

\----------------------

Once again, Clarice was sitting across from Hannibal.

He sat back in his chair and said, "You promised to tell me about your time on the ranch, Clarice." He slightly smiled when he saw her wince. "After your father's murder, you were orphaned. You were ten years old. You went to live with cousins, on a sheep and horse ranch in Montana. And...?"

"And...one morning I just...ran away..." Clarice said as she turned from him.

He leaned forwards, towards her but Clarice didn't notice because she was looking away from him, too deep in her memories, "Not 'just', Clarice. What set you off? You started what time?"

"Early. Still dark." Clarice answered softly.

"Then something woke you. What? Did you dream...? What was it?" Hannibal prompt.

**_The 10-year old Clarice sits up abruptly in her bed, frightened. She is in a Montana ranch house; it almost dawn. Strange, fearful shadows on her ceiling and walls... a window, partly fogged by the cold; eerie brightness outside._ **

"I heard a strange sound..." Clarice replied.

"What was it?" Hannibal asked gently.

**_The child raised up from her bed, she crossed to the window in her nightgown, rubbed the glass._ **

"I didn't know. I went to look..." Clarice whispered.

**_Shadowy men, ranch hands, are moving in and out of a nearby barn, carrying mysterious bundles. The mens' breath is steaming... A refrigerated truck idles nearby, its engine adding more steam. A strange, almost surrealistic scene..._ **

"Screaming! Some kind of...screaming. Like a child's voice..." Clarice said obviously distressed.

**_The little girl is terrified; she covered her ears._ **

"What did you do?" Hannibal asked watching her closely, he could tell that she was reliving that moment and it was only his voice that kept her from falling even further into her memories.

"Got dressed without turning on the light. I went downstairs... outside..." Clarice answered.

**_The little girl in her winter coat, slips noiselessly towards the open barn door. She ducks into the shadows to avoid a ranch hand, who passes her with a squirming bundle of some kind. He goes into the barn, and she edges after him reluctantly._ **

"I crept up to the barn... I was so scared to look inside - but I had to..." Clarice said.

**_The open doorway looms closer... Bright lights inside, straw bales, the edges of stalls, then moving figures..._ **

"And what did you see, Clarice?" Hannibal prompt her gently.

**_A squirming lamb is held down on a table by two ranch hands._ **

Clarice whispered, "Lambs. The lambs were screaming..."

**_A third cowboy stretches out the lamb's neck, raises a bloody knife. Just as he's about to slice its throat -_ **

An sixteen year old Clarice staring into the distance, shaken, still trembling from the child's shock. Hannibal was crouched before her, close but not too close, studying her intently.

"They were slaughtering the spring lambs?" Hannibal asked.

"Yes...! They were screaming." Clarice wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was trying to keep herself from breaking.

"So you ran away..." Hannibal murmured as he gently, softly placed a hand on her bicep. She doesn't react to the touch, she still looked away from him.

Clarice heaved a shaky sigh and whispered, "No. First I tried to free them... I opened the gate of their pen...but they wouldn't run. They just stood there, confused. They wouldn't run..."

"But you could. You did." Hannibal said.

Clarice nodded her head and said, "I took one lamb. And I ran away, as fast as I could..."

**_A vast Montana plain, and crossing this, a tiny figure, the little Clarice, holding a lamb in her arms._ **

"Where were you going?" Hannibal asked gently as he moved closer to her, almost touching her.

"I don't know. I had no food or water. It was very cold. I thought - if I can even save just one... but he got so heavy. So heavy..." Clarice whispered.

**_The tiny figure stops, and after a few moments sinks to the ground, hunched over in despair._ **

"I didn't get more than a few miles before the sheriff's car found me. The rancher was so angry he sent me to the Lutheran orphanage. I never saw the ranch again..." Clarice murmured.

"But what became of your lamb?" Hannibal asked but there was no response from the teenager. "Clarice...?"

Clarice turned her head then, staring into his eyes. She shook her head, unwilling or unable to say more.

"You still wake up sometimes, don't you? Wake up in the dark, with the lambs screaming?" Hannibal asked her.

"Yes..." Clarice answered softly.

Hannibal paused; then, oddly at peace he said, "Thank you, Clarice."

She stared at him silently before she hesitantly smiled at him, "You're welcome, Doctor Lecter...and thank you."

"You're very welcome, Clarice." Hannibal said smiling at the teen.

\-----------------

He didn't know why he was doing this, there was so many ways it could end badly for them both but here he was signing the adoption papers of one Clarice Starling. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she had finally allowed him into her mind. To let him see what had caused those sleepless nights that Mrs. Anderson had told him about.

"Thank you." Mrs. Anderson said with a smile. "I've been trying to get her adopted for years but as soon as they hear about her problems, they never want her."

"Clarice isn't broken, Mrs. Anderson, she's bruised." The Cannibal said with a smile. "And I want to help heal her."

"Thank you again." The old woman said. "I'm sure she'll blossom into a fine, lovely young woman in your care."

Hannibal just smiled at her before he went to collect his new housemate, he was eager to see how she'll respond. He knew about her unspoken belief that she would never find a home and a place where she could truly belong...


	2. Prologue # 2: Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the name of this story to 'Taking Over Me' by Evanescence, it really fit with the story and Clarice's and Hannibal's relationship.
> 
> I will try to make the early chapters long but I won't be writing full year worth of it xD I'll write what I think is important up until the first 'season'. I am still working on Loving a Monster but I am trying to figure out the whole Dimmond being killed in front of her. Don't worry, I won't stop working on it but I am also working on this story as well.

###  Prologue # 2: Seventeen

**HANNIBAL LECTER'S HOUSE- MORNING**

It had been a year since Clarice had moved in with her doctor, when he had 'adopted' her. She was seventeen now and she had finally stopped growing (she stood at 5'9" now, taller than most girls her age), and she had curves in all the right places. And she was pretty, boys were always asking for her number and to go on a date with her. All of them were refused, Clarice wasn't ready for a relationship of that kind. That and Hannibal had looked ready to murder those boys when she had told  him about them. She always got offers to become a model but she always refused them, she didn't want to be a model. Clarice had told Hannibal when her birthday was after he had asked her when it was a few days after she had came to live with him in his house in Baltimore, he had smiled when she had told him that he had both been her birthday and Christmas present when they had first met since it had been on Christmas Day. 

Clarice remembered that she used to get a lot of presents on Christmas because it had been her birthday as well, her daddy used to tell her that she had been his favorite Christmas present when she had been born.

Her seventh birthday party was huge and unforgettable, Hannibal had included it to his annual Christmas party, she had to get dolled up (Hannibal had bought her a red cocktail dress to wear at her party) and play the hostess as she greeted the people who had came to her birthday party. None was her age but Clarice always had a hard time making girlfriends.

Unless you count Ardelia Mapp but the mocha colored teen had forced herself into Clarice's life and rearranged it to fit her. And that had been within seconds of meeting her when Hannibal had enrolled her into Baltimore high. Dee was helping Clarice heal which was probably why Hannibal allowed the teen to come over as much as she did to hang out or have sleepovers.

Bob Seger's _Old Time Rock and Roll_ played on her radio just as her phone went off, she rolled over and answered it, "Hello?"

"Clare bear, are you still in bed?!" Ardelia's voice came from the other end.

"....No...." Clarice smiled when she heard that familiar nickname, Hannibal's face when he had heard Dee for her that in front of him had been priceless. "And it's still Christmas break so I can stay in bed all day if I want to.

"Liiiiieeeessss. We both know that Mr. Lecter wouldn't allow you to do that!" Ardelia said. "Get you ass out of bed! You and I have a date with a sale at the mall!"

Clarice chuckled and said as she threw her covers off, "Okay, okay...I'm up! Let me get in the shower and get some breakfast before I leave."

"Wait! Tell Hannibal to make some extra for me! I'm on my way!"

The red haired girl laughed and said, "Okay, see you soon."

"Bye, Clare bear!"

Clarice hung up the phone before she stood up and made her way to her attached bathroom, she took a quick shower and got dressed. She pulled her hair back into a high ponytail before she grabbed her leather jacket and purse, and left her bedroom. Clarice walked down the stairs, she headed to the kitchen where she could smell bacon frying. "Morning, Hannibal." Clarice sang as she walked over to him, placing a kiss on his cheek standing on her tiptoes a bit since Hannibal was taller than she was. "Dee is coming over for breakfast, is that okay?"

"Ms. Mapp is always welcome to come over." Hannibal said as he returned the cheek kiss. "Good morning, Clarice."

"Awesome." Clarice said as she sat down on the stool that was at the counter. "What's for breakfast, H?"

Hannibal's lips quirked at the nickname that she had started to call him at the end of last year, she was the only one to call him that and he found that he didn't mind it at all. "Eggs in a basket, bacon and hash browns. And freshly squeezed orange juice."

"Sounds delicious." She said with a grin.

The doorbell rang at that moment, Hannibal looked up and said, "That should be Ms. Mapp now, she is always right on time when she says she'll be."

Clarice smiled as she stood up and headed to the front door, "Yes but we both know that you don't like rudeness and being late would be rude."

Yes, he does hate rudeness but he would never harm Ms. Mapp if she should be rude. She was the reason why Clarice has been smiling, laughing and showing affection more after all. When she had first started living her, Clarice didn't like being touched. It was her way of not becoming attached to someone, it wouldn't hurt if they left her behind so she closed off her heart and emotions from others. Held herself at a distance.

She had kept Hannibal at a distance during those first three months.

Until Clarice brought home a mocha colored seventeen year old girl named Ardelia Mapp who had managed to upheave all of Clarice's walls and made herself at home. Hannibal smiled as he remembered Clarice's look of confusion when she had brought Ardelia home with her after her first day of school. Ardelia was friendly and polite as she greeted Hannibal and introduced herself as Clarice's friend and classmate.

Yes, he owed a lot to Ms. Mapp and therefore she was off his menu.

He heard the front door open, pulling him from his thoughts and he heard their voices.

"Clare bear!"

"Dee!"

There was a rustle of fabric, they were no doubting hugging then he heard two sets of footsteps heading back to the kitchen. Clarice was the first to enter as she said to Ardelia, "Hannibal's making eggs in a basket, bacon and hash browns with freshly squeezed orange juice."

"That sounds delicious." Ardelia said. "Good morning, Mr. Lecter, thanks for letting me come over and for making breakfast."

"No thanks needed, you are always welcome to come here as long as you give me fair warning." Hannibal said with a teasing smile and wink. "So what are your plans today, ladies?"

Ardelia smiled widely and said, "We're going to the mall, there's a sale going on there and we're going to get some new clothes for this new year."

"Planning to turn heads, hm?" Hannibal said playfully.

"Maybe." The mocha colored teen said with an smile.

Clarice chuckled and said, "Not me, I get enough head turning as it is."

Ardelia turned her head towards Clarice and said in a thoughtful manner, "Yeah, you are tall for a girl. Most of the boys are age are short."

"Nothing like chasing potential boyfriends by standing over them." Clarice said with a giggle.

"No complaints from me ever, I'm short so having a tall friend is good for me. You can easy reach the top shelves."

Clarice just laughed as Hannibal placed their plates before them, none of his usual meats on their plates. He would never dishonor them in that manner, his worry of not being able to eat his usual meats was unneeded Clarice mostly spent her time in her bedroom either studying, doing homework, watching TV or chatting with Ardelia on the phone. He had been able to keep his true nature from Clarice and she never once became suspicious of him, all she saw was someone who was taking care of her and helping her get over the screaming lambs.

She was still haunted by that memory, there had been many times where he had been woken up by her screaming or by her knocking on his door and asking if she could sleep with him.

He was never upset or annoyed with her, he knew that her mind was bruised and it would take her sometime to heal from it.

"Thanks, Mr. Lecter."

"Thank you, Hannibal." 

Their voices pulled him from his thoughts and he smiled at them, "You're welcome now eat your breakfast before it gets cold." The two teenage girls smiled in response before they started to eat, talking between bites. Once they were done, they put their dishes in the sink to rinse off then Clarice hugged and kissed Hannibal on the cheek before she and Ardelia headed to the front door, grabbing their jackets and purses before they left the house.

"Bye, H!" Clarice's southern twang called from the front door before she closed the door.

She and Dee climbed onto their bikes and rode off, heading to the mall and leaving Hannibal alone.

\---------------------------------------

It was in February that Clarice had finally learned what she wanted to do after high school, she had been on her way from school alone where she had came across the dead body of a child. She had entered in a trance like state and entered the mind of the child, and she saw everything through the child's eyes and felt everything that the child had felt. Clarice had ran to a payphone to call Hannibal in tears and he had came over, to calm her down and to see how the child had died.

It had been on accident as Clarice had guessed. He had fallen off a tree and died instantly. He had to call the police, though Clarice was shaken up by it.

She wanted to use her ability to help the lambs so she decided to join the FBI, Hannibal smiled when she had told him that but she had noticed that it was a bit forced though she never questioned it.

Reading a book about Jack the Ripper also showed her that she could empathize with serial killers on top of her ability to empathize with the victims, which had been a double whammy when she had been reading that book. She had slept with Hannibal that night, cling to his arm as she slept.

So she started to sign up for the classes she needed to get to her dream, Ardelia also wanted to join the FBI and had joined her friend in the sign up for next school year. Their senior year.

Hannibal had understood and helped Clarice as best he could, under his care she was becoming sophisticated and was learning how to speak in other languages. Her knowledge was expanding by the books he gave her to read from his office. They would discuss what she had read in great lengths, to see if she understood it and if she didn't, he'll explain it to her.

And of course, Clarice to have her sessions with him. Most of the time it was at home where she was most comfortable telling him her darkest secret. She had told him more memories that she had with her father.

He knew that the lambs are still screaming.

Expect for one, Clarice was starting to develop feelings for him, for her caretaker. For Hannibal. He wasn't her father, he had never replaced that role and she didn't want him to. Clarice kept it from him, she had learned how to hide those tells from him, she had the books to thank for that. 

Clarice sat up from her hunched position over her desk and stretched, groaning when she felt her bones pop and muscles stretch. She dropped her pencil and interlaced her fingers, stretching them and cracking her knuckles. After she had properly stretched, she closed her math book and notebook. Clarice then stood up and moved away from her chair, she pushed it in. 

All of her homework was finally done now she could enjoy her evening.

Hannibal was going to take her to an opera as an reward for having kept her As. She was excited, she loved the opera. It was the only part of Hannibal's life that she really enjoyed.

Clarice likes broadway plays as well, he had taken her to see _The_ _Lion King_ and _The King and I_. They had talked about both plays at great lengths, Hannibal wanted to hear her thoughts and opinions about the plays.

The teen took a quick shower, shaving what she needed to shave since her dress was strapless. Once she was done, she turned off the shower and grabbed a towel that was sitting outside her shower stall. Clarice dried off and then put on the lace strapless bra that matched her underwear. She even put on thigh high lace stockings.

She pulled one side of her hair to the side with a crystal covered hair clip. Then she walked back to her closet and put the dress on before she slipped into her high heels.

Then Clarice walked to the mirror that she had in her room, looking at her reflection in the floor length mirror. She was wearing a black strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline, the floor-length formal evening gown had a figure-flattering trumpet silhouette. Clarice had to hand it to Ardelia, she knew how to pick clothing that would fit Clarice's figure and looks.

She grabbed her formal purse and formal black shawl, Clarice walked down the stairs and smiled when she saw Hannibal waiting at the base of the stairs for her.

Hannibal took in her appearance, everytime he this beautiful vision, it caught him off guard. Despite how many time he had seen her dressed up like this.

"You look beautiful, Clarice." Hannibal said.

"Thank you, H." Clarice said with a smile. "You look handsome."

Hannibal offered her his arm and said, "You're quite welcome. Thank you...shall we be off?"

"Of course, we don't want to be late." Clarice said as she weaved her arm through his and together they walked out the front door and after locking it, they headed to his car.

He opened the passenger side door for her and Clarice smiled at him before she climbed into the car buckling in while Hannibal shuts the door and walked around the front where he opened and climbed into the driver's seat. Hannibal starts the car and drives off.

They are silent as they drive, Clarice is staring out the window as he drives.

~~~~~~

Hannibal and Clarice arrived at the McCluster Hall to see  _Opera De L'ouest_. He had gotten tickets for a private balcony so he guided her up the stairs and led her to their seats, where they sat down next to each other. Clarice glanced down at the pamphlet that they were given before she grabbed the small binoculars that they were given and peered through them towards the stage.  

"See anyone that you know?"

Clarice looked towards another balcony across the way and said, "Yep, I see that snobbish old woman that doesn't think it's proper for a man to live with a young lady he isn't either married to or related to him...balcony across from us....I don't think the- never mind, she sees us." She waved to her woman across the hall before she lowered the binoculars just as Hannibal raised his own and looked through them in the direction of the woman and her husband. The older man and woman were whispering as they glanced over to them.

But before he could say anything, the opera began and the two turned their attention to the stage.

Soprano portrayed the noble lady Lenora from Verdi’s Trovatore, “Tacea la notte placinda” vibrating from her vocal chords. Hannibal's eyes soften and crinkle, enjoying the feast of sound around him and the woman beside him who was watching the stage with interest. In the string section, bows draw menacingly up into frame, appearing to float briefly before slashing down.

Hannibal looked down at the small, delicate hand on the arm rest next to his. She had painted her nails red to match the color and texture of the lip gloss that she had on her lips. Both nails and lips have a shiny look to them, like liquid. He fisted his hand because he wanted to hold hers and bring it up to his lips and kiss the delicate skin of her wrist. He had no idea where that urge came from but he has been having that urge a lot especially as she gets older, becoming the sophisticated, beautiful young woman with grace and elegance.

Violins reach a fever.

Hannibal listens intently as he watches the conductor's baton carve the air with force and purpose. Simultaneously, Conductor and Hannibal (playing the “home game” from his seat) sharply part their hands. As instructed, the cymbal player prepares to crash instruments. From the corner of her eye, Clarice see this and smiles at the sight.

The noble lady Lenora clutched her heart as she held her final note, which she sustains over the following. Lenora’s sustained note finally stops and applause erupt from the Opera House.

Hannibal is first to his feet applauding enthusiastically followed closely by Clarice.

~~~~

Afterwards Clarice and Hannibal were walking down the stairs arm in arm as they talked about the play.

"It was wonderful!" Clarice praised smiling widely. "I loved the music and story."

Hannibal led Clarice to an outside courtyard to they can continue to talk in private.

"I am happy to hear that." Hannibal said. 

Clarice gave him a beaming smile as she linked her arm through his.

They arrived at the center of the courtyard and Clarice pulled away from Hannibal to stand a few feet from him, swaying to the music in her head. Hannibal watched silently for a few minutes before he walked towards her and tapped her shoulders. Clarice jumped in surprise before she turned to look at him, he offered her his hand in a manner fitting a man asking a woman to dance.

"May I have this dance?" Hannibal asked.

Clarice looked at him before she smiled and nodded her head, she placed her hand in his and her other hand was placed gently on his shoulder while Hannibal gently gripped her hand and placed his other hand on her waist then they started to dance around the courtyard.

"You are getting better." Hannibal stated when he noticed that Clarice was matching his steps like it was second nature to her.

She smiled and said, "Yes, I am no longer stepping on my dance teachers."

Hannibal spun her around as he started to led her into a much more complicated dance, he had been dancing in a easy to learn manner but once he heard that he wanted to test her.

Clarice's eyes widen in surprise but she was able to match him step for step until he spun her one last time and dipped her. She laughed, her head tilted back and back arched. Hannibal gently lifted her back to a standing position and released her, taking a step back.

"You dance beautifully, Clarice."

"Only because I had you as my dance partner, Dr. Lecter." Clarice said smiling. "It would have looked weird if I was dancing by myself."

Hannibal smiled before he once more offered her his arm, which she took and together they walked back to his car. Talking and laughing, leaning their heads close together almost as if they were lovers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I forget to say that she meets Ardelia sooner? I did? Whoops! XD
> 
> Ardelia's and Clarice's relationship is similar in the other story, I was planning to edit Ardelia into the Loving a Monster series but didn't do it.
> 
> I might also start the other one since I have shown and proven that I can work on multiple stories at the same time with my Marvel ones.

**Author's Note:**

> My Clarice is a winter baby, she was born on Christmas Day so she just turned sixteen in this chapter. Also each chapter will be like a year for Clarice and Hannibal until I reach when she turns 20.
> 
> Clarice's accent in the same as Rogue from the X-Men the Animated Series and Rogue from X-Men Evolution.
> 
> Best way to describe Clarice since she's a small town girl from Barboursville, Cabell County, West Virginia:  
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lexi-herrick/13-reasons-to-date-a-girl-from-a-small-town_b_7789908.html


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